20/02/2017 El grupo CLS acquires Woods Hole Group

CLS, the French satellite services provider, has announced the acquisition of the Woods Hole Group, an American company specialising in environmental, scientific, and engineering consulting. CLS is a subsidiary of CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales), Ardian (the independent private investment company) and IFREMER (Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer). With this acquisition, the company confirms its position as an international leader in environmental services.

Founded in 1998 and based in Massachusetts, Woods Hole Group will bolster CLS’ portfolio in scientific, measurement and consulting services. Already a specialist in environmental monitoring, the company can offer its customers value-added solutions including equipment, data analysis, models, services and environmental impact assessments. CLS has a workforce of 650 employees across six strategic activity sectors: sustainable fishing management, environmental monitoring, maritime safety, fleet management, energy & mines and ground segments. The company will now benefit from Woods Hole Group’s expertise in observing the impact of global warming on coastal areas, the assessment of ecological risks and the impact of new infrastructure on the environment, as well as developing customised technical plans to restore wetland habitats and to protect rivers.

Woods Hole Group enjoys a solid reputation both for the quality of its services and for the skill and dynamism of its teams. Woods Hole Group employs nearly 45 people and achieved a turnover of almost US$10 million in 2016. With strong growth in recent years, and with new markets opening up, the group has set itself the ambitious objective of reaching a turnover which exceeds €125 million in 2017.

Christophe Vassal, CLS Managing Director, said:

“We have high hopes for the future success of our group, which will benefit from the synergy brought by the acquisition of CLS and Woods Hole Group. We share complementary products, services, and solutions. CLS already provides its customers with 30 years of experience in deep sea ocean observation, collecting, processing and dissemination of data. Woods Hole Group will contribute expertise in the fields of coastal and ecology, as well as in the measurement of underwater conditions. We are already heavily involved in measuring the impact of climate change by calculating rising sea levels, observing a changing ocean, and monitoring distressed fauna. Bringing Woods Hole into the CLS Group will help us better serve our customers in dealing with climate issues.”

Baudouin d’Hérouville, Managing Director Ardian Expansion said:

“This new transaction, the fourth international acquisition since the beginning of our partnership, is fully in line with the development strategy that motivated our entry into the capital. We will continue to actively explore opportunities for external growth